No roll playing in this lesson
If the plan was to ease Mark Trumbo into third base this spring, the Angels picked a good day to do it. With fly-ball pitcher Jered Weaver on the mound, Trumbo did not field one grounder in three innings of a 6-4 exhibition loss to the Seattle Mariners at Tempe Diablo Stadium Wednesday.
“Jered may not be the best candidate to get a lot of work, but I was just happy to get out there,” said Trumbo, who was pushed off first base by Albert Pujols. “It’s just a matter of time. The next game, I may get five plays.”
Trumbo, recovering from a stress fracture in his right foot, started in the ninth spot of the batting order but did not hit. In the morning, he ran the bases for the first time this spring. He expects to be cleared for full action by Saturday. After the game, he worked on fielding slow rollers.
Though the closest Trumbo came to action was fielding a throw from the outfield on Brendan Ryan’s second-inning single to left, Manager Mike Scioscia thought the outing was beneficial.
“A third baseman can get a lot out of playing without having a ball hit directly to him,” Scioscia said. “The prep step, getting used to the angle, that kind of stuff is going to be really important to him.” New target
Weaver gave up three singles and struck out two in two scoreless innings, throwing fastballs and changeups in a 34-pitch stint with new catcher Chris Iannetta.
“I’m definitely going to miss Jeff,” Weaver said of former catcher Jeff Mathis, who was traded to Toronto in December. “When you have that kind of relationship with somebody, you pretty much know what each other’s thinking.
“With a new guy, the way he catches the ball, sets up, calls a game, it’s all going to be different. But he’s a workhorse, he wants to win, and he wants to get better, so it shouldn’t take too long to get on the same page.”
Scioscia hasn’t announced his opening-day starter, but Weaver, who was 18-8 with a 2.41earned-run average last season, is aligned for the April 6 game.
Weaver established himself as the Angels’ ace by going 13-12 with a 3.01ERA and a major league-leading 233 strikeouts in 2010. After following that with a better 2011, his challenge isn’t so much to improve but to maintain his performance.
“You’re not going to go from 230 great innings to 270 great innings or from a 2.41ERA to 1.88,” Scioscia said. “What you strive for now is consistency, to repeat production year after year.” Scout’s honor
Angels scout Jeff Schugel was kicked out of a San Francisco Giants workout in Scottsdale Stadium on Wednesday morning, an incident that stunned and confused the 25-year veteran.
“I got there early, and I was just doing my job, watching infield practice and grading arms,” Schugel said. “The next thing you know, an usher told me I couldn’t be there. I thought he was joking.”
According to csnbayarea.com, Schugel didn’t immediately leave the park. He walked down the first base line and sat in the stands before security, at the request of Giants Manager Bruce Bochy, chased him out of the park.
“I have all the respect in the world for Boch,” Schugel said, “but maybe he was having a bad day.”
A Giants official initially said scouts are allowed in the park before gates are open only to pick up tickets or credentials. But after phone calls between front-office executives, both clubs called it a “miscommunication” and the Giants announced that scouts would be allowed at morning workouts.